The transition from hunters and gatherers to agriculturalists.

When the question of human progression is asked, a lot comes to mind. Some people look at technological, medical, and professional advances to show signs of human progression. Other people tend to look at diseases and disadvantages associated with human changes and claims that it is not progression if people are being harmed. Before we can state whether or not we, as human beings have progressed, we must define progression. Progress is a moving forward; advancement or development (Webster 1995: 536). This means for progress to be made, we have had to advance from a previous place in time. There are numerous advantages and disadvantages that have occurred through the evolution of mankind. Since the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, human beings have clearly progressed over time.

Hunters and gatherers were scattered in small-scale groups, approximately bands of 30-100 people who lived by gathering wild plants and hunting small and large game (Robbins 2006: 41).

Robbins, Reg

Robbins, Reg

Actual photo taken during a game of Carcassonne: H...

This subsistent strategy is thought to be the only strategy used for over two million years; until the end of the Paleolithic period. Since hunters and gatherers search for food required mobility, it was not uncommon for them to move every few days (Robbins 2006: 41). Hunters and gatherers lived mobile and very low nutritional lifestyles. The food hunters and gatherers ate hardly made up the "balanced" diet; nothing like the mix of grains, fruits, vegetables, meat, eggs and dairy products we are accustomed to today (Gadbsy 2004: 66). Within a hunter gatherer community, there was no economic or political structure. Hence, they would live in an egalitarian society because the community was too small.

After the Paleolithic period, cultures started to move towards slash-and-burn, or swidden agriculture, in to the Neolithic Revolution. This was the clearing of forests by burning trees and brush...

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